As we can see, the AI smartphone is no longer just a device, but an active companion in our lives. It enhances our photos & video quality, optimizes battery life, helps in gaming by creating smarter NPCs, protects privacy, and even supports our memory. But the question is, is this technology really making us more capable or is it making us addicted to our own devices?
The real impact of AI smartphones: convenience or habit?
Until a few years ago, we used our phones just to make calls or send messages. Later the time changed and we used the cell phones for social connectivity, recording videos, capturing stunning photos, making transactions, entertainment, booking rides, booking hotels, and even running businesses. Now the smartphones have entered a new phase, they are powered by AI features that make a lot of things easier, more efficient, and user-friendly than ever before.
As published on Counter Point Research, over 1 billion smartphones equipped with generative AI will be shipped by 2027, means in upcoming years out of 6, 1 will use AI-powered phone and this number will be 2x in 2028 or 2029. This will reduce cloud dependency and people will start using the AI directly on devices!
OPPO’s recently launched Find X8 Pro’s AI telescope zoom lets you see clearly even 50 meters away, while Samsung’s Galaxy AI features summarize meetings. These features are undoubtedly making our lives easier, but are we becoming overly dependent on it?
According to a research by MIT, when people know that some information is available on the internet, they do not even try to remember it. This is called the “Google effect”. Creativity and memory capacity have been seen to decrease in users who use AI assistants such as ChatGPT. That is, our brain is becoming lazy.
Digital Amnesia: Are we forgetting?
Earlier we used to remember phone numbers, birth dates, and important events. Today our phone has become our memory. According to a study, 90% of smartphone users are not able to remember even the numbers of their loved ones. This is an example of “Digital Amnesia”, where the use of our natural memory is decreasing. The result? Our ability to think and understand is gradually weakening.
What is the impact on mental health?
Nomophobia (No-Mobile-Phobia) has become a new fear, where people start panicking about being without a phone. A study conducted by Trần Văn Cường, Khải Nguyễn, Tun Zaw Oo, and Krisztian Jozsa on college students found that students who relied more on social media and AI tools had lower GPA and higher stress levels. Also, the habit of multitasking is weakening our focus. We try to do many things simultaneously, but in reality our mind is not able to fully focus on any one thing.
What is the solution?
Use AI as a tool, not a replacement for your thinking. For example, have AI prepare a meeting summary, but repeat it in your own words so that you can remember it. Do a digital detox—improve your mental health by staying away from the phone for a few hours a week. You can control your screen time by using apps like Time2Stop and MindShift AI.
Alternatively, instead direct using AI tools… first prepare everything as per your knowledge and give your best. Once done, you can take help of AI and ask for further improvement. This way, both you and AI contribute—enhancing your memory of the work and helping you perform it more effectively.
Example: I don’t use ChatGPT or Gemini or any other AI tool directly for my work. First of all I write articles according to my knowledge. Whatever I know, I add it to my article and for corrections like grammatical mistakes, date and time accuracy, publication name or alternative suggestions… I use AI tools and this way I and AI work together and it doesn’t break my patience and nothing bad happens to my memory.
What will be the future?
Well, you can’t ignore the presence of AI in the smartphones. AI is for us and it is up to us how and when to use it. If we use AI in the right way, it can increase our productivity. But if we get addicted to it, it will weaken our thinking ability badly. AI should be our assistant, not our slave.
Finally, remember—a smartphone is just a machine, the real smartness should be within us. If you still have doubts? Please let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to share it with others!
